I’m really disappointed with the move to Spotify. I love streaming music but I think that Spotify is the most inferior of the services available. Also, the fun of the old downloads is that you guys could include things that didn’t have to go through the corporate cogs first to be released. Cloud streaming is too polished. Remember all those great cover songs from Radiohead? None of that on the cloud. Some of my favorite music discoveries have been through Stereogum downloads. I still have a lot of vintage (e.g. ’07-’09) Stereogum tracks that I play regularly and those artists do get paid now through iTunes match. If you’ve got to make the move to the cloud, can it at least be on a format that doesn’t require me to install and run an app just to get in the door.

Does jj’s kills count as a mixtape? ‘Cuz that one was pretty killer.

Two things: First off, I couldn’t agree more with your take on both Kanye’s and M.I.A.’s albums from this past year. It feels refreshing to hear a level-headed critique of both. Secondly, I am really excited for this new feature. Music is a part of life and life changes. As life changes our opinions and tastes grow and change. We shouldn’t disregard our initial reaction to something but it is valuable to look back, reassess and look at what’s changed. There is beautiful freedom in allowing yourself to rediscover things that were once disregarded or move beyond things were once held dear.